Tools for a Successful Solar Electric Installers

Below are several lists that describe many of the tools needed for an installation. They are broken out into functional groups for site assessment, installation and maintenance. Most of the specialized tools fall into the site assessment and maintenance categories; the installation tools are probably already in your tool box!

Site Assessment Tools

  1. 50-100 ft. tape measure
  2. Solar Pathfinder (evaluates the solar energy potential at a site)
  3. Compass (not needed if you’re using a Solar Pathfinder)
  4. Maps (reference for location latitude and magnetic declination)
  5. Digital camera

   

Basic Tools Needed for Installation

  1. Angle finder
  2. Torpedo level
  3. Cordless drill (14.4V or greater), multiple batteries
  4. Unibit and multiple drill bits (wood, metal, masonry)
  5. Hole saw
  6. Hole punch
  7. Torque wrench with deep sockets
  8. Nut drivers (most common PV sizes are 7/16”, ½”, 9/16”)
  9. Wire strippers
  10. Crimpers
  11. Needle-nose pliers
  12. Lineman's pliers
  13. Slip-joint pliers
  14. Small cable cutters
  15. Large cable cutters
  16. AC/DC multimeter
  17. Hacksaw
  18. Tape measure
  19. Blanket, cardboard or black plastic to keep modules from going “live” during installation
  20. Heavy duty extension cords
  21. Fuse Pullers

 
  
 
  
 

Additional Tools to Consider (especially for multiple installations)

  1. DC clamp-on ammeter
  2. Reciprocating saw / Jig saw
  3. Right angle drill
  4. Conduit bender
  5. Large crimpers
  6. Magnetic wristband for holding bits and parts
  7. C-clamps
  8. Pry bar

 
  

 

  

Tools for Battery Systems

  1. Hydrometer or Refractometer
  2. Small flashlight (to view electrolyte level)
  3. Rubber apron
  4. Rubber gloves
  5. Safety goggles
  6. Baking Soda (to neutralizer any acid spills)
  7. Turkey Baster
  8. Funnel
  9. Distilled Water
  10. Voltmeter

  
 

 

IST Training Photo clip
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Popular posts from this blog

Solar energy consulting & management services, detailed project report, energy management consultants, 1 Kw Rooftop Solar System should be for every house

Image
Planing of solar PV system. Support for Rooftop PV System Installation of Solar Power Plant Complete Solution Off-grid Solar Systems Solar off-grid systems are installed on stand alone basis without any support from utility grid. They use batteries as storage devices of electricity that gets charged during the day and meets electricity needs during night. This way these systems ensure a 24 hour power supply. Hybrid Systems Solar hybrid systems couple the Solar PV modules with other power producing sources in order to increase the total output and reduce the cost involve and offer more reliable solutions. The most common of these are solar and diesel hybrid & solar and wind hybrid systems. Grid-connected Rooftop Systems Grid connected Rooftop Solar power plants within the capacity range of 1 to 500 kilowatts are simple to i...
Read more

1kw solar power plant specification

Image
Off-Grid Solar Power Plants 1 KWp Off-grid Solar Power Plant can generate approximately 4-5 units in normal sunny day. Space required for installation of 1 KWp system is approximately 100 sq. ft./KWp Smart electronics to effectively manage usage of solar power based on load requirements. High efficiency inverters capable of supplying load directly (in the day time) without storing in the batteries all the time. Off-grid Solar Power Plant can reduce CO2 emission by tons per year. Application Areas: Hospitals Educational Institutions Government Offices Commercial Establishments Petrol Pumps Construction Companies Workshops Water Pumps Community Centers Technical Specification: Description Specification  Hybrid PCU Rating ( kw ) 3kW-100kW MPPT Power sharing Converter Maximum power Tracking system    Input ( Rectifier ) Active power factor correction > 0.99 Based with power sharing configuration. Nominal AC Input Voltage 3 Phase 4...
Read more

MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS FOR SOLAR PV DEVELOPMENT

Image
Project planning Activities at the project planning phase comprise site selection, technical and financial feasibility studies, engineering design and project development. The first two activities involve measuring the solar resource potential and estimating the environmental and social impacts of developing a solar plant on an identified site. Engineering design involves identifying the technical aspects of the mechanical and electrical systems, the civil engineering work and infrastructure, the construction plan and the operations and maintenance (O&M) model. Project development consists of administrative tasks such as obtaining land rights, permits, licenses and approvals from different authorities; managing regulatory issues; negotiating and securing financing; negotiating and signing insurance contracts; contracting an engineering company; negotiating the rent or purchase of the land; and managing the procurement processes. EXAMPLE: Planning a 50 MW solar PV plant re...
Read more

Industrial Vocational Training for Engineering Students

Image
INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR ENGINEERING AND DIPLOMA STUDENTS Institute of Solar Technology is going to conduct four weeks / six weeks Summer /Industrial (Vocational) Training Program for Students of B.E./ B.Tech./Diploma in Engineering and M.B.A.from the month of June and July 2015. IST has been well appreciated by Students / Colleges / Universities. This has helped the students in enhancing their career prospects in Solar Power field. SCOPE OF SOLAR PV INDUSTRY IN INDIA SOLAR SECTOR: INDIAS NEXT EMPLOYMENT HUB The Indian government has announced an ambitious target of 100 GW solar power by 2022. As proposed by MNRE 40GW rooftops and 60GW large-scale projects, the country would get the maximum benefit of 1,310,000 jobs. According to the estimates, 59% of these jobs would be for semi-skilled workers while 21% would require unskilled and 20% skilled workers. WHO CAN APPLY? Students of B.E. / B.T...
Read more

বিপর্যয় এড়াতে ভূগর্ভের জলস্তর রক্ষা করার ডাক

Image
মা টির নীচের জলভাণ্ডার যত ক্ষয়িষ্ণু হবে, তত বাড়বে দূষণ। ভবিষ্যতে এমন একটা দিন আসতে পারে, যখন তৃষ্ণা মেটানোর জল জোটানোও দুষ্কর হয়ে পড়বে। এই হুঁশিয়ারি দিয়ে কৃষি ও অন্য কাজে ভূগর্ভস্থ জলের ব্যবহার অবিলম্বে নিয়ন্ত্রণ করার পরামর্শ দিলেন বিশেষজ্ঞেরা। বৃহস্পতিবার কলকাতায় জল সংরক্ষণ সংক্রান্ত এক আলোচনাচক্রে কেন্দ্রীয় ভূ-জল পর্ষদের অধিকর্তা গৌরাঙ্গচরণ পতি জানান, সেচে ভূগর্ভস্থ জল ব্যবহারের নিরিখে পূর্ব ভারতে পশ্চিমবঙ্গের স্থান তৃতীয়। মাটির নীচ থেকে যথেচ্ছ জল তুলে নিলে আগামী দিনে পশ্চিমবঙ্গে পানীয় জলের আকাল দেখা দিতে পারে বলে সতর্ক করেছেন তিনি। শুধু তা-ই নয়, অন্য বিপদও আসতে পারে। “পশ্চিমবঙ্গের ভূগর্ভস্থ জলে আর্সেনিক ও ফ্লুওরাইডের দূষণ ছড়াচ্ছে। খুবই চিন্তার বিষয়। ভূগর্ভের জলস্তর যত নামবে, তত বাড়বে এই দুই দূষণ।” বলেন তিনি। এই অবস্থায় বিপর্যয় এড়াতে ভূগর্ভের জল ব্যবহারে সচেতন হতে আহ্বান জানিয়েছেন তিনি। কিন্তু পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকার তো সম্প্রতি গ্রামে সেচ-নলকূপ ব্যবহারের উপরে নিয়ন্ত্রণ তুলে দিয়েছে! এমনকী চাষিরা যাতে ভূগর্ভের জল আরও বেশি করে সেচের কাজে লাগাতে পারেন, সেই লক্ষ্যে সেচ-প...
Read more

Solar Energy Industry in India & Its Future Prospects

Image
PV Solar System Installer training programme - March 2015 at IST The Indian solar energy sector has been growing rapidly, in the past few years, majorly due to Government’s initiatives such as tax exemptions and subsidies. Due to technical potential of 5,000 trillion kWh per year and minimum operating cost, Solar Power is considered the best suited energy source for India. Much of the country does not have an electrical grid, so solar power will indeed be a boon for water pumping, to begin replacing India's four to five million diesel powered water pumps, each consuming about 3.5 kilowatt of off-grid lighting. Solar energy technology consists of solar thermal technologies, which utilize sun’s energy and solar photovoltaic technology, which convert solar energy directly into electricity. India has been ranked 7th worldwide for solar photovoltaic (PV) cell production and secure 9th rank in solar thermal power generation. This capacity is growing rapidly due to the e...
Read more

NIESBUD Entrepreneurship Development Program on Solar Energy

Image
Hands-on Practical Entrepreneurship Development Program on Solar Energy View More: http://www.istindia.org/niesbud-edp-program/ This training program is designed for professionals who are looking at demystifying the business, finance, technology & regulatory landscape of solar energy. In this training program, major information necessary to enter the business of Solar Energy will be provided along with excellent networking opportunities. Successful candidate will be able to have an understanding of National Solar Mission, Government & State policies, Fundamentals of Solar Photovoltaic, System Designing, REC mechanism, etc. The course will be conducted in a workshop mode (participative) and each session builds upon the others.  Training Objective: This training program is designed for new Entrepreneurs, Prospective Entrepreneurs, working Professional and Students looking at demystifying the business, finance, technology & regulatory landscape of solar ene...
Read more

Sustainable Community Development

Image
Institute of Solar Technology has been established by "Global Advanced Training & Educational Trust". IST is an academic and research-oriented self project that has worked in partnership with companies, women's organizations, community development associations and sociological research institutes. Join with us and build Sustainable Community. NGOs have shown leadership in promoting sustainable community development. Due to their particular ideology and nature, NGOs are good at reaching out to the poor and remote communities and mobilizing these populations. They can also empower these populations to regain control of their lives and can work with and strengthen local organizations. In addition, such NGOs can carry out projects more efficiently and at lower costs than government agencies and, most importantly, promote sustainable development. The five dimensions of sustainable community development are as follows: Increasing local economic diversity Self ...
Read more

IST-Magazine India Sets Year-on-Year Targets to Reach Ambitious 2022 Solar Goal

Image
India Sets Year-on-Year Targets to Reach Ambitious 2022 Solar Goal In 2014, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a goal to  increase solar power      capacity to 100 Giga watts (GW) by 2022 —five times higher than the previous target. The 2022 target is extremely ambitious (the world’s total        installed solar power capacity was  181 GW in 2014 ) and would make India a global leader in renewable energy. Moreover, Piyush Goyal,   India’s Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy, recently said that  India aims to achieve its 100 GW solar target as early as the end of 2017. India’s total installed solar power capacity stands at  5.8 GW , so the country will need to significantly ramp up the pace of solar capacity additions, from an average 4 GW per year to 15+ GW per year to meet the 2022 target.  Critics have been skeptical, citing hurdles l...
Read more

IST-Magazine Solar Energy Applications for Agriculture in India

Image
Booming Solar Energy Market in INDIA IST E-Magazine | December, 2016 Estimates for total number of farmers in India, for 2011, accordingly range from 95.8 million (8%) to 263 million (22%) to 450 million (38%), out of a total population of over 1.2 billion. Others estimate the total number of farmers in India to be about 600 million (50% of total population). India should stop doing all other solar and just focus on giving farmers a solution for their needs. Solar power technology would be a reasonable choice for agricultural tools. Solar Photovoltaic cells (SPV) directly convert the light energy from the sun into electricity. Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems use an indirect method for the conversion process. Solar farming uses power generated from solar energy to operate agricultural or farming tools. It is simple, cost effective, reliable and long lasting. Most common agricultural tools such as tractors, watering ...
Read more

Labels

Show more